Texas: Under Construction - Page Text Content

2: Wichita Falls, Texas | Wichita Falls is located in the North Central Plains. In the very early 1900s the population was less than 8,000 people and life was simple. Like any place in Texas, the summers were extremely hot and winters were very cold. It was a small town and citizens living there have grown up there and newcomers were welcomed warmly. Of course the newcomers only came one family at a time. No one, especially the locals expected the oil boom.

3: Where Wichita Falls is located. | A Wichita Falls postcard.

4: The Oil Boom | The oil boom was something that changed Wichita Falls for years to come. It first occurred in 1918 in Burkburnett. It was over 627.8 square miles of land, and the boom had earned so much money that the Building Boom was a direct effect. The oil caused such a stir in the amount of jobs open as oil workers, the population went from 8,200 people to 40,079 in just 10 years! There were never enough people to fill the amount of jobs needed, and in many citizen eyes, that was a good problem to have. But there were some disadvantages to this huge growth. Supplies such as food and living space dwindeled down due to the large amount of people living in wichita falls

5: An oil boom | Oil Workers

6: The Building Boom | In the early 1920s, during the oil boom, more than a dozen building projects were taken on in the downtown area. Even with the great depression rolling in, Wichita Falls never stopped building. Libraries, stores, schools, even skyscrapers were being built due to the huge increase in money from the Oil boom. In 1930, four railroads were built. Four railroads in one year! This boom added another 20,000 to the population and opened more jobs to Americans and newcomers. The disadvantages that came from the Oil Boom applied to the Building Boom, but the living space was made up for because while many buildings were being made, so were many neighborhoods.

7: Building in progress | Wichita Falls photograph that was taken during the 1920s

8: Perspectives | A Bartender- During the building boom, only 2 bars were built and they were always packed after work as construction workers and oil miners came for an after work drink. For bartenders, the oil and building boom was very beneficial to business. Their (the bartenders) enthusiasm always encouraged more workers coming back for more, somethines even delaying work!

9: A simple family man- Joseph Kinley, a local from Wichita Falls was interviewed during the oil boom and was asked what he thought about the continuing growth. He said, "Its hard for my kids to grow up in a normal environment like I did and my parents did.. They are growing up thinking that oil mining is the only way to provide for a family but I can assure you its not. I'm living proof of that." His exact words showed that men who didn't work as oil miners or construction workers, did not like the new lifestyle provided for his family. His prospective and many others made oil and building a somewhat tedious thing.

10: Transportation | Because of the railroads built in 1930, many things were easily imported and exported. | The mass of oil and the mass of constructive pieces (Wood, metal, nails, etc.) being exported into different towns and states, word got around that Wichita Falls was open and ready to hire. | Communication

11: Weather was never a problem for oil workers. Rain helped speed up the process of collecting oil, and the lack of rain was just as well. It was rare for workers to work all hours during the summer due to the dangers involved, but in the winter, you often found all the miners mining. | Weather/Climate/Landforms

12: In conclusion..... | Life may have been hard for those in Wichita Falls, but life was productive, peaceful, and brought major success to the city. Without his boom, the Wichita Falls today would be so different. Guess everything happens for a reason, huh?

13: Wichita Falls' oldest cemetary, built in 1932, during the building boom. | Wichita Falls' tallest building, built in 1935, during the building boom. | A book cover about Wichita Falls' and their amazing growth during the oil and building boom.